What these scams look like
- A deepfake video: a famous person appears to recommend an investment or a product. Their face and voice look real, but the video was made with AI.
- A voice-clone call: you hear a family member, upset, saying they are in trouble and need money quickly. The voice may have been copied from a short clip online.
- A perfect message: a text or email that looks exactly like it came from your bank, a delivery company or a government agency.
The warning signs
- Pressure to act now, or keep it secret.
- A request for money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or a bank transfer.
- A request for codes, passwords or personal details.
- A link or a phone number given to you in the message.
- Something that seems too good to be true, such as big returns with no risk.
Stop, check, protect
Stop: do not reply, click or pay. Hang up if it is a call. A real person or organisation will understand.
Check: contact the person or organisation yourself, using a number or website you already know, not one in the message. For family, call them on their usual number.
Protect: if you have paid or shared details, call your bank straight away, then report it at Scamwatch (another website). IDCARE (another website) can help if your identity details were taken.
A family safe word
Agree on a word or question with your family that only you would know. If someone calls in a panic asking for money, ask for the safe word. A voice copied by AI will not know it.
Try this
- Talk with your family this week and agree on a safe word.
- Write down the real phone numbers for your bank and close family, and keep them by the phone.
- Try the "Safe or scam?" practice on this site.
Safety tip
You can always hang up and call back on a number you know. A real emergency will still be real in five minutes.